STRANGENESS STROLLS ON COLORADO BLVD.; DOO DAH PARADE BRINGS THE BIZARRE BACK TO PASADENA.

Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer

Mr. El Nino finally arrived in Southern California on Sunday, but it turns out he's just a goofy guy with a cape.

The overhyped weather phenomenon was among the 93 wacky entries in the Doo Dah Parade, which included the likes of the L.A. Mudpeople, Marv Alpert's Stud Service and The Basset Hound Howllelujah Chorus.

``I could care less about the Rose Parade,'' said spectator Bill Perron of El Monte, who has attended the event all 21 years. ``This is the people's parade. There's a lot of creativity that goes into this parade.''

This year's irreverent spectacle culminated a dream of Lily Hodge of Sierra Madre, who died in February. She'd always wanted to be queen of the parade, said her husband, Claude Hodge, who escorted her ashes and 8-by-10 picture along the parade route.

``I think this will be her chance to be in it,'' Hodge said at Memorial Park, where marchers gathered before the parade.

Pasadena police estimated that about 30,000 people lined the street to see the 21st annual event. Entrants came on foot, on bikes, in shopping carts, baby strollers and motorized toilets. There were the bouncy, buxom and excessively choreographed West Hollywood all-male cheerleaders. And there was the ``two-headed'' queen of the parade, Juliariana.

Making his second appearance at the parade was a solo, lurching Uncle Fester. Bald, Charles Delvalle of Covina posed for pictures and nursed a potion of dry-ice as Uncle Fester of ``The Addams Family.''

``This is real fat. This is not a mask. So I look like him in real life,'' said Delvalle, who teaches computer repair classes. ``I look scary like this naturally.''

Some of the entries had no point whatsoever, but others carted signs promoting everything from health insurance reform to legalization of ferrets.

The festivities kicked off at noon with 53 members of the Hog Owners Group of Ventura. Fitted with plastic hog snouts over their noses and taped pig noises emitting from their Harley-Davidson stereos, they rumbled down the streets of Old Town Pasadena.

Following the HOGs was the Wicked Tinkers Scottish bagpipe and drum ensemble. Drummer Warren Casey of Glendale said the group was really the first entry in the parade since the motorcyclists had a specified job to do.

``They're clearing the streets, removing any bodies that are in the way,'' Casey said, as some of the HOGs looked on, plastic snouts in place.

Even the dogs had their day at the Doo Dah Parade on Sunday, with teams of pugs and dressed up basset hounds that walked or napped in wagons along the route.

Bill James, a Lakewood resident and organizer of Basset Rescue, said before the parade that he was expecting the dogs would howl the ``Hallelujah Chorus,'' but the droopy-eyed dogs' unpredictability was always a factor.

``Bassets pretty much do what they want to do,'' James said. ``We're just going to try to keep them all going in the same direction.''

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PHOTO The L.A. Mudpeople watch pig-nosed bikers ride by in the Doo Dah Parade.

John McCoy/Daily News